Posts for tag: New Bedford

A recent study on essential fatty acids highlights the different nutritional needs of men versus women.

As you might think, men and women have varied nutritional requirements. And of course, this can impact specific aspects of human health differently for men vs. women.

In the study, when evaluating thrombotic (blood clot) disease risk, men who supplemented with an EPA rich omega-3 fatty acid experienced a reduction in platelet aggregation (clotting) as opposed to women who experienced a similar effect only when supplementing with DHA rich omega-3 fatty acid.

So when you reach for a fish oil supplement, gender can matter!

PS- This is the fish oil supplement in use in my home! It has a good balance of EPA, DHA, and other not yet discovered fatty acids. If you are interested, call the office for the website code and you can order it online.

How does this happen? Cortisol when elevated, tells the body to break down protein in order to produced glucose. Over time, this breakdown of protein leads to less muscle mass which lowers metabolism. Your muscles require fuel (calories), even at rest. With less muscle there is less calorie burning and therefore a lowered metabolism.

But it can get worse. If you are breaking down protein to make glucose and you already have an adequate supply of glucose, your body will store the glucose as fat.

On top of that, cortisol interferes with the body’s ability to build muscle.

So if you are going to the gym, but triggering high cortisol levels, you are not going to make the gains you would like with regard to your body composition (the amount of fat to muscle).

The bottom line is that if you are trying to maintain or lose weight, you do not want to raise cortisol or ghrelin levels, and leptin levels should be promoted. Getting enough sleep helps you do just that and promotes better health in general.

Finally,

If you want to get a handle on where your cortisol levels are, it has never been easier. Just stop by Merolla Chiropractic in New Bedford or Fall River for a home test kit based on saliva samples. It will accurately read your cortisol levels in the morning, afternoon, late afternoon, and night. And from there, we can go back to burning fat, not storing it!